198 Students Begin Studies at Gifted Schools in 14 Classes Under an Education System Tailored to Their Abilities

Alaa Khalifa: The Ministry of Education launched classes at the gifted students’ schools for boys and girls in the West Abdullah Al-Mubarak area, welcoming the first cohort of 55 male and 143 female students, distributed across 14 classrooms covering grades six through nine, with no more than 16 students per class. This arrangement ensures an educational environment that respects individual differences and meets the specific needs of this group of learners.

In a press statement, the Ministry of Education said it had completed the procedures for selecting teaching and administrative staff according to defined stages, which included screening applications, verifying compliance with established conditions and criteria, and conducting tests and personal interviews.

It noted that 78 teaching and administrative staff members passed these stages, including 60 teachers, 11 department heads, four assistant principals, along with library custodians and a senior educational psychologist.

The Ministry clarified that the selected staff enrolled in a specialized training program to prepare them for the nature of work in gifted students’ schools, enhancing their skills in interacting with gifted students and understanding their educational and pedagogical needs. This contributes to building an educational environment that fosters creativity and innovation, and strengthens the ability of teachers and administrators to provide the necessary support for students and develop their potential.

It added that it had completed the operational preparations required to welcome students, including developing school transportation plans and allocating bus routes to cover all admitted students, ensuring their safe and regular arrival at the two schools from the first day of classes, as well as finalizing the readiness of teaching and administrative staff and support services.

For his part, Badr Al-Shatti, head of the Awareness and Development Department at the Ministry’s Gifted Students Office, said in the statement that this step is part of the efforts of the Gifted Students Office, which falls under the sector of the Minister of Education’s Office, aimed at preparing a generation of young people capable of leading future paths of innovation and invention.

Al-Shatti added that student selection for admission to these schools was carried out according to precise and multiple criteria, including academic achievement levels, creativity assessments, and intelligence quotient tests, ensuring the attraction of students who possess capabilities and talents deserving of care and development.